Forget it once an ***hole always an ***hole. Morgan listed Pompano as his other choice but it was down for repairs. Pompano will now have slots/poker and the purses will probably be comparable to Dover. The difference being he could bring his own horses with him and not have to leave them here or put them in a sale. Pompano's driver colony is way better than Dover's. Why would he move to a place where he has to dump everything he owns to race. Delaware is very restrictive to keep guys like Morgan out. Why would he want to jump through so many hoops when New York and Florida will offer the same opportunity but with less restrictions. Hence the easy pickings at Dover. Morgan is a vulture and doesn't want to have to compete for a living. Purses were not his motivation. He had other options. Quite clear are two words that should never be used together in Harness Racing. Just like honesty and integrity.

Forget it once an ***hole always an ***hole. Morgan listed Pompano as his other choice but it was down for repairs. Pompano will now have slots/poker and the purses will probably be comparable to Dover. The difference being he could bring his own horses with him and not have to leave them here or put them in a sale. Pompano's driver colony is way better than Dover's. Why would he move to a place where he has to dump everything he owns to race. Delaware is very restrictive to keep guys like Morgan out. Why would he want to jump through so many hoops when New York and Florida will offer the same opportunity but with less restrictions. Hence the easy pickings at Dover. Morgan is a vulture and doesn't want to have to compete for a living. Purses were not his motivation. He had other options. Quite clear are two words that should never be used together in Harness Racing. Just like honesty and integrity.

Not looking to get into a discussion of the merits (or lack thereof) of Morgan as an individual, or how he screwed over the racing establishment in Illinois, since I know nothing about any of this stuff anyway.

However, hard to dispute his skills as a horseman, a guy that's approaching 10,000 career wins with over $60,0000,000 in purses earned. Clearly he's head over heels better than anyone driving at Dover Downs, and point of fact is, he has to be considered one of the best drivers in the game (no matter what anyone thinks of him personally). It's too easy to say that when he goes up against the "Big 3" or "Big "4" (Sears, Pierce, Miller, Brennan) that he gets cold cocked by these guys, but then again you are probably talking about the 4 biggest money drivers in the game, who typically are driving the best 4 horses in any given race.

I'm not praising Morgan, and I'm not denouncing him. I'm just looking at statistics, and in this case they don't appear to lie.

BTW - someone posted up Johnny C as being one of the best current money drivers in the game. Not in my opinion anymore, and frankly it hasn't been that way in a long time (or since his wrist injury from a few years ago). If he's getting top drives, to me that's a classic example of getting someone's good name, without any longer the skills associated with that name. He know longer keeps a horse alive like he used to, and he doesn't seem to be able to fire a horse as in the past. These days that name causes many of the horses he's driving to be overbet, and it's a great angle to go against.

Forget it once an ***hole always an ***hole. Morgan listed Pompano as his other choice but it was down for repairs. Pompano will now have slots/poker and the purses will probably be comparable to Dover. The difference being he could bring his own horses with him and not have to leave them here or put them in a sale. Pompano's driver colony is way better than Dover's. Why would he move to a place where he has to dump everything he owns to race. Delaware is very restrictive to keep guys like Morgan out. Why would he want to jump through so many hoops when New York and Florida will offer the same opportunity but with less restrictions. Hence the easy pickings at Dover. Morgan is a vulture and doesn't want to have to compete for a living. Purses were not his motivation. He had other options. Quite clear are two words that should never be used together in Harness Racing. Just like honesty and integrity.

As usual, you're not one to be confused by the facts.

First, Morgan announced Dover as his choice during an interview at the Little Brown Jug, well before the hurricane damaged Pompano.

Second, Florida will have the second highest (to NY) tax rate in the country on its racino slots, and will be limited to 1,500 machines, so purses are not likely to match Dover's any time soon. The horseman are also not guaranteed any specific percentage of the take, and will have to negotiate with the tracks for whatever they get. And, although Gov. Bush called the legislature back into session to pass the enabling legislation, he did so only because he had to comply with the law. In fact, he is backing a move to overturn the constitutional amendment allowing slots, which will be put forth during the 2006 legislative session.

First, Morgan announced Dover as his choice during an interview at the Little Brown Jug, well before the hurricane damaged Pompano.

Second, Florida will have the second highest (to NY) tax rate in the country on its racino slots, and will be limited to 1,500 machines, so purses are not likely to match Dover's any time soon. The horseman are also not guaranteed any specific percentage of the take, and will have to negotiate with the tracks for whatever they get. And, although Gov. Bush called the legislature back into session to pass the enabling legislation, he did so only because he had to comply with the law. In fact, he is backing a move to overturn the constitutional amendment allowing slots, which will be put forth during the 2006 legislative session.

I have a copy of an interview Morgan gave to the southtown after the brown jug that said he was still undecided! I'm sure you have a copy in NEW JERSEY! TC your invited to remind NJhorseman of his limited Chicago knowledge. As far as Florida is concerned is this a fact or one of your factoids?

I have a copy of an interview Morgan gave to the southtown after the brown jug that said he was still undecided! I'm sure you have a copy in NEW JERSEY! TC your invited to remind NJhorseman of his limited Chicago knowledge. As far as Florida is concerned is this a fact or one of your factoids?

I saw the interview live on the Jug webcast. It's been documented here and elsewhere right after it occurred. This isn't a matter of opinion.

As far as Florida is concerned, I suggest you check the numerous newspaper and trade press articles that have been written in the last couple of weeks.

In the southtown article he was back on the fence. Everyone in Illinois needs to follow the Florida slot legislation then because if not done the right way slots can be approved and the horsemen still get screwed.

In the southtown article he was back on the fence. Everyone in Illinois needs to follow the Florida slot legislation then because if not done the right way slots can be approved and the horsemen still get screwed.

Good question. My partner who is at the OTB (I can't go there tonight, wife sick) said the article was probably done 2-3 weeks before it was printed. He said when it came out he already knew Morgan was going to Delaware. My factoid.

Good question. My partner who is at the OTB (I can't go there tonight, wife sick) said the article was probably done 2-3 weeks before it was printed. He said when it came out he already knew Morgan was going to Delaware. My factoid.

Now there's some top shelf journalism. Publish an interview weeks after it was given, making the interviewee look like he's contradicting himself.